Author Archives: skeptvet

Pet Psychics

Posted on May 17, 2010 by skeptvet

I have tried to avoid this topic since it is not by even the most tortured stretch of the imagination really about medicine, even most forms of alternative medicine. Unfortunately, all too often I see people making medical decisions for … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous CAVM | 22 Comments

Therapies to Soothe all Four Legs–From the NY Times

Posted on May 10, 2010 by skeptvet

There was a scary article yesterday in the New York Times talking about the popularity of a variety of CAM therapies for racehorses. It is a laundry list of nonsense complete with outrageous prices and weak rationalizations. I also thought … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Miscellaneous CAVM | 7 Comments

Veterinary Quackery–Circa 1921

Posted on May 10, 2010 by skeptvet

I recently ran across an edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association from 1921 which contained a few tidbits that I found interesting concerning the distinction between scientifically trained veterinarians and their “empirical” competitors. Such documents are … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 2 Comments

“Holistic Medicine”–It means whatever we say it means

Posted on April 27, 2010 by skeptvet

The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) has a statement on their web site explaining what “holistic” medicine is. I was interested in this because it’s a slippery word, seemingly simple on the surface but hard to pin down. Superficially, … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 13 Comments

Spinmaster Messonier at it again

Posted on April 25, 2010 by skeptvet

I recently discussed, and corrected, some comments Dr. Shawn Messonier made on his blog concerning Alison Averis’ post here illustrating how personal experience can be unreliable in evaluating whether a medical treatment works or not. Dr. Messonier has responded to … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 2 Comments

Give a Dog a Bone (Not!)–FDA warns of dangers of feeding bones to dogs

Posted on April 25, 2010 by skeptvet

The Food and Drug Administration issue a warning about feeding bones to dogs recently. Just like feeding milk to cats (which also isn’t a very good idea), giving bones to dogs is a cultural cliché that we learn about as … Continue reading →

Posted in Nutrition | 21 Comments

Does science affect people’s beliefs? For good or ill?

Posted on April 21, 2010 by skeptvet

The fundamental belief underlying this blog is that the truth matters, and that science is the best hope we have of approaching a true understanding of health and disease. I make an effort to investigate and understand the scientific evidence … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Primal Defense-An example of why I am suspicious of probiotics.

Posted on April 19, 2010 by skeptvet

For those who have read what I have previously written about probiotics, you’ll know that I am cautiously optimistic about their potential usefulness as a medical therapy, despite the tendency towards overstating the results of the limited clinical trials so … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 94 Comments

Dr. Shawn on Alison Averis’ Essay Fooling Yourself

Posted on April 16, 2010 by skeptvet

The tireless promoter of “natural” veterinary medicine (whatever that is) and himself, Dr. Shawn Messonier, has applied his characteristic fuzzy logic and love of strawmen and misleading hyperbole to a recent guest post by Alison Averis on Fooling yourself: An … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 4 Comments

The Mysterious Vanishing Placebo Effect?

Posted on April 11, 2010 by skeptvet

I have written about the placebo effect before, but a recent update to a Cochrane review entitled Placebo Interventions for All Conditions has prompted me to revisit the subject. It has been clear for some time that the so-called placebo … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 2 Comments